The Curse is Back

[Intrepidation]

Not a good way to end the week, this.

On Friday I was on my way home from picking up some lunch before I had to go to work. Car up ahead was stopped waiting to turn left. I stopped and a Neon behind me stopped. Some ass clown in a Mountaineer didn't notice and ran right into the neon, which ran into me. The neon apparently kept rolling until it came to rest across the street half way on the sidewalk.

A mix of disbelief and extreme anger overcame me. The only thing I said to in the direction of the Mountaineer driver was "What the f*ck?! You hit my f*cking car!"

Called the police, home, and work, and stayed by the car. if I had gone over to the Mountaineer owner i would have likely introduced them to the pavement. And trust me, the relationship would have been intimate.

Two cruisers and two ambulances came. i did go to the hospital because my lower back hurt, so better safe than sorry. Nothing serious so there's that I guess.

Didn't get any photos because I didn't give a sh*t, all I could think of was that my poor car had been rear ended and now I'll have to deal the insurance companies.

Its currently at my preferred mechanic's shop. I guess tomorrow I'll be getting a rental and wait for the adjuster to look at the car. If I'm lucky they'll determine the cost and I'll get it fixed and over with. if they try to total it, I'll have to fight with them like I did the Prizm. Joy.

Oh and my license plate frame from Chrysler is ruined! :rage:

[ocnblu]

Ugh, that looks pretty bad from here. Entire rear bumper, rear body panel, etc. I would say, prepare to fight.

[G. David Felt]

Glad to hear it is just a sore back DF. Sorry to hear about your car, sucks as our beloved rides get older, the insurance companies want to just throw them away and move on. Good Luck with getting her back on the road.

[A Horse With No Name]

DF-

 

Sorry to say, they will probably want to total that one.  Be prepared to fight!

 

Good luck keeping her on the road.

 

Chris

[Intrepidation]

I hope it goes easy, but if I have to, I will fight as long as it takes. It's not my first rodeo (Prizm).

 

Just picked up my rental, a Hyundai Sonata.

[A Horse With No Name]

Good luck, glad you are okay. Enjoy the Sonnota....

[Intrepidation]

I got a call from the shop this morning telling me that the adjuster had come by. The adjuster said it was likely a total while complimenting the overall condition. Great way to start the day. So I began to prepare for a long and arduous battle with them.

In I afternoon I got a call from the adjuster with some different news. "As of now it is being declared a repair." This was indeed a pleasant surprise as it means I shouldn't have to fight with them too much and it shouldn't take nearly as long to get repaired. So yay for that!

Meantime I've had a chance to play with the Sonata. Bluetooth is the best thing ever. I want it in my car somehow.

[SAmadei]

Looks like all your hard work is going to save you a hassle and your 'Trep from a potential trip to the big parking lot in the sky.  Nice!

[ocnblu]

Make sure everything gets fixed.  Maybe they are writing to repair the rear body panel somehow.

[G. David Felt]

Awesome, another fine example of taking care of your ride pays off!

[Intrepidation]

Just got the appraisal. The panel is part of  the repair.

[G. David Felt]

For under 12hrs of work that is not bad. If you do not mind posting it, what was the final price tag for this damage?

[Robert Hall]

'rear body panel'...is that the bumper? 

[Intrepidation]

For under 12hrs of work that is not bad. If you do not mind posting it, what was the final price tag for this damage?

 

$1,826

 

'rear body panel'...is that the bumper? 

 

No that's the trunk panel behind the bumper.

[Robert Hall]

 

For under 12hrs of work that is not bad. If you do not mind posting it, what was the final price tag for this damage?

 

$1,826

 

'rear body panel'...is that the bumper? 

 

No that's the trunk panel behind the bumper.

 

Interesting...so they didn't have to replace the bumper?

[Intrepidation]

We've located a matching bumper cover with energy absorber and reinforcement for $250.

 

I think early next week its going to a body shop to get the rear panel fixed.

 

I have the rental until next Friday, my car should be done by then.

[ocnblu]

Yes they have to replace the bumper, likely with a used assembly, which is a good way to get everything needed.  That estimate is written on the CCC estimating system.  I've been using that since 1993.

 

EDIT:  Yes, the rear body panel is the rear trunk panel, the panel that the trunk striker is on, the bumper covers it.  The taillamps are mounted in it.  It is a welded-in panel, that's why it lists 7.0 hours labor to replace it.  The old one has to be cut out at the original joints.

Edited June 20, 2014 by ocnblu

[Intrepidation]

So is it cheaper/easier to do that vs repairing the existing panel? i was wondering that.

[G. David Felt]

Very cool, not bad less than 2K for the repair. Thanks for posting.

[daves87rs]

Sucks it got hit, but glad she will be back on the road soon....

[ocnblu]

It's easier, and it is better for the car.  It will restore proper dimensions to the width and height of the rear of the car so everything that attaches to it fits properly and looks good when it's done.  It would be a bitch to fix all those angles and radii.

[Intrepidation]

Here she is Monday shortly before going to the body shop.







They didn't end up replacing the rear panel after all, but instead did a damn good job straightening the existing one. The shop had a green Intrepid in their yard which provided all the necessary parts including a good bumper cover.

Picked her up today. I'm so happy to have her back! The rear bumper even lines up better than it used to. Inside of the trunk is perfectly straight and the only sign of damage is at the left corner of the trunk well, but its more than acceptable. Now for it to never leave the driveway again!









Chrysler's even nice enough to send me a replacement frame, which is really nice of them.

[A Horse With No Name]

Looks fantastic.

[ocnblu]

From SE PA, it looks like they did a good job on it.  They corrected the trunk gaps too.  Decent paint match to the quarters, I guess.  We had an '02 Maxima in the shop with over 200k this week, my manager wrote for a replacement rear body panel, but the body tech was able to pull it out and fix it instead.  I'm happy this ended well, we all know how much time and energy you've put into this car.

[Drew Dowdell]

The engine size is listed wrong

[G. David Felt]

Nice job, time to replace that rusty muffler with a stainless steel system. Give it a tuned pipe! Over all so happy you got this done well with minimal stress. Looks Awesome!

[§carlet §wordfish]

Glad to see your baby back to good, Dodgefan!

[Intrepidation]

Glad to see your baby back to good, Dodgefan!

 

Me too!

 

Nice job, time to replace that rusty muffler with a stainless steel system. Give it a tuned pipe! Over all so happy you got this done well with minimal stress. Looks Awesome!

 

While replacing the exhaust was a possibility, it turned out not to be damaged and isn't necessary. The OEM exhaust system is higher quality than any aftermarket stuff. While I do have eventual plans for the exhaust its not on my priority list.

 

Compared to what I had to go through with the Prizm this was amazingly quick and not overly stressful. A lot of that I think is thanks to my friend/mechanic who kept the car stored in his shop rather than a tow yard. In fact teh worst part of the experience besides the accident itself was probably the towing company. Who wanted to keep it at the yard, tried to tell me its "definitely a total" (it wasn't) and lied to me that it leaked coolant (it doesn't). Once I got it out of there and to the shop things went fine. I get the last laugh because they lost out on storage money. Serves the ass clowns right.

 

The engine size is listed wrong

 

At one time it was correct.

 

From SE PA, it looks like they did a good job on it.  They corrected the trunk gaps too.  Decent paint match to the quarters, I guess.  We had an '02 Maxima in the shop with over 200k this week, my manager wrote for a replacement rear body panel, but the body tech was able to pull it out and fix it instead.  I'm happy this ended well, we all know how much time and energy you've put into this car.

 

Thanks, its good to have her back! I think the shop did a good job as well. The match isn't perfect, but it wasn't before either, and now I have a nicer bumper that lines up better than it did before!

 

Looks fantastic.

 

Now it's time for a well deserved cleaning!